FAQ

WAY Academy is a charter school. A charter school is a tuition-free public school and enrollment is open to all students. The “charter” that establishes each school is a contract detailing the school’s mission, program, performance goals, and methods of assessment.

Every public charter school has an authorizer which, subject to state law, may be a district school board, university, Mayor’s office, or non-profit organization. Authorizers are responsible for holding charter schools accountable for compliance with their operating agreements or “charters.” For WAY Academy, our public authorizing body is Lake Superior State University.

WAY, Widening Advancements for Youth, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Public Charity organization. It offers a project-based and competency-based learning model to schools. WAY manages WAY Academy as a public charter school.

WAY was founded in 2009 to provide a personalized, project-based, and competency-assessed learning experience for all students. WAY was created to align with emerging trends in education involving integrating 21st Century skills, competency-based assessment, and the works of prominent voices in education.

In 2013, WAY Academy was founded to reach underserved students in the Metro Detroit area. The school offers grades 7-12 on three campuses in the Metro Detroit area.

No, WAY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which partners with local school districts and manages public charter schools. WAY Academy is a tution-free public school managed by WAY.

To learn how to enroll, head to our enrollment page. If you have questions on how to enroll, contact us!

WAY is a Cognia (formerly AdvancEd) accredited organization, meeting their high standards of education. Therefore, WAY Academy is accredited by Cognia as well.

Cognia represents 34,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide. See our Accreditation page for more information.

Yes, all WAY online and WAY Academy in-person teachers are Michigan-certified teachers.

WAY Academy serves grades 6 - 12.

Each student in WAY Academy is provided with a computer workstation and internet connection at no cost to the student.

WAY provides all of the books and instructional materials needed to complete the program, at no cost to families enrolled in our schools.

No. WAY Academy is a blended school where students work online and in-person throughout the week. WAY Academy requires students to attend at least 4 hours per day, 4 days per week.

Students work online and offline - reading books, conducting science experiments, collaborating with other students, and watching instructional videos.

No. WAY Academy is a blended school where students work online and in-person throughout the week. You can choose which days to work on school at home.

WAY Academy requires students to work at home at least 16 hours per week.

Students work online and offline - reading books, conducting science experiments, collaborating with other students, and watching instructional videos.

That depends the amount of credits a student come to WAY Academy with and how motivated they are to finish! Check the Graduation Requirements page for information on how many credits are required to graduate from WAY Academy.

The curriculum at WAY Academy is focused on demonstrating national and state standards. Certified teachers grade student work to determine which standards are met.

The curriculum is cross-curricular, giving students an opportunity to earn credit in more than one course at the same time. As students demonstrate the national and state standards, they make progress in the course and earn credit.

A students first day is called their induction. This is their welcome to WAY Academy and orientation. During their first day, they will set up their equipment, learn about the school, online community, meet the teachers, set their schedule, and start their first project.

WAY Academy does offer school events like graduation ceremonies, proms, student organizations, etc.

WAY Academy does not offer organized team sports.

WAY Academy has two graduation ceremonies each year in the December and June.

Check our Transcript Request page on how to request a transcript from WAY Academy.

Yes, WAY Academy accepts courses passed at previous high schools. Students provide a official transcript from their previous school and WAY school will transfer the courses passed.

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